Visiting Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve

While I was visiting with my sister in Southern California, we went for a hike in the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve. It is one of her favorite places to hike and take in what the area originally looked like. The vistas are beautiful.

The first section we walked on was basalt. During the spring when the rains come, the water doesn’t soak in creating temporary lakes. These lakes dry up in the hot summer. A fairy shrimp survives in the dried mud then comes back to life when it rains again.

The flowers were out although a little past peak. Below are California Poppies and a Chocolate Lilly.

With the flora is usually some fauna. Below are a lizard and a snake.

The trees that grow well here are oaks. Here are a couple of them below.